Folding crate.



Y f Patented Aug, |900. z. B. TAYLUH & o. w. MUORE.

FOLDING CRATE.

(Appumion med Feb. s, 1900.)

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UNITED STATESA yPATENT OFFICE,

ZANE BLAND TAYLOR AND ORLANDO WILSON MOORE, OF ORBISONIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDING CRATE.

SPECIFICATION formingpal-t 0f .Letters Patent No. 655,283, dated August '7, 1 900. Application iiled February 3, 1900. Serial No. 3,838. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern..-

Be it known that we, ZANE BLAND TAYLOR and ORLANDO WILSON MOORE, citizens of the United States, residing at Orbisonia, in the county of Huntingdon and State of Pennsyl- Vania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Crates; andwe do declare the following tovbe a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in shipping-crates of the folding or collapsible variety especially adapted for shipping poultry, but also well adapted for more general uses.

One object of the invention is to improve upon the invention shown and described in Letters Patent No. 628,500, granted to Z. B. Taylor and O. lV. Moore July 11, 1899, and particularly to improve the means of locking the door of the crate and also the top of the crate to the crate proper, so that when the same is folded or collapsed into returning position said door cannot be opened until the top of the door has been unlocked pre-paratory to bringing the crate into position for use, so that the door is prevented from coming open and being exposed to accident, and the use of the spring is obviated.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description, and other advantages resulting from the simple means employed,enabling the crate to be readily collapsed or put into position for use as the exigency of the case may require and securely maintaining the various parts in their proper relative positions, will become apparent in the course of the description.

The inventionv consists in the novel arrangement of parts which will now be described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the crate folded, with both the top and door thereof locked, parts being broken away throughout the gure to more clearly illus; trate the invention, and a position of the locking means being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view vtaken about on a line m ai, but showing the crate in position for use, to clearly vshow the position of the movable .locking-rod when the crate is in said position. Fig. 3 is a detail end view of one of the` corners of the crate, illustrating the manner of hinging or securing ,the foldingend sections to the end cleats or bars.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the bottom of the crate, to the ends of which in carrying out our invention we rig,-

idly secure two cleats or cross-bars l2 and 3,

forated for the passage of screws which pass through the lower ends of the end bars.

The numeral 8 designates two folding side sections composed of two horizontal rods 9v and 10 and intermediate vertical rods 10, the said rods 9 being reduced at their ends to form dowel-pins 12, (shown in dotted lines,

Fig. 2,) which enter dowels 13 in the end bars when the crate is standing up, and the rods l0 have dowel-pins 14, that enter dowels 15 in the cleats and so iit therein that the side sections will be permitted to rock. In order that the side sections will be flush upon the bottom of the crate when folded, we recess the cleats, as indicated by the numeral 16, which receive the dowels of the rods 9.

The top of the crate is'composed of side bars 18 and 19, held firmly together at their corners by metallic angle-pieces 20, and are strengthened by transverse bars 2O'4 and 21, which, together with the end pieces, serve as supports for the rods 22.

Slidably mounted upon the two central rods a and b is a yoke 23, rigidly secured to a locking-rod 24, which slides in and is supported by a yoke 25, and through a perforation 26 in the cross-bar 2O and is adapted to foo pass through perforation 27 in the side pieces 28 and 29 of the gate or door 30 and also through the perforation 3l in the end 'bar 1S. The door of the crate is rockably connected to the rods C of the top of the crate and opens upwardly.

The numeral 32 indicates two dowel-pins secured to the inside of end bar 19 and are to enter dowels 33 in the cleat 3 for the purpose of securing the top of the crate at this end when the same is folded, and the same pins enter dowels 3i in the upper rod 7 when the crate is in position foruse.

To prevent any lateral motion of the top of the crate and as additional means to keep the crate from collapsing, pins 35 are provided which, when the crate is standing, fit just inside the top rods 7 of the side sections.

The numeral 36 designates a screw-eye secured to the center ofthe cleat 2, and 37 indicates a similar eye secured to the center of the upper rod 7 of one of the end sections, both of which eyes are adapted to be entered by the locking-rod 24, the eye 37 when the crate is unfolded and the eye 3G when it is collapsed.

Assuming now that the crate is folded or in the position shown in Fig. l, to bring the same to standing position it is only necessary to slide the yoke 23 sufficiently to Withdraw its end through the perforation in the end bar of the crate-cover and through the eye 37, when the cover can be lifted up sufficiently to disengage the pins 32 from the dowels 33. The end sections are then rocked to vertical position, which operation is followed by a like movement of the side sections, and after the dowel-pins of the top rods of the side sections are seated in the dowels of the end sections the top is then put in place, the pins 32 entering the dowels in the top rods 7 of the end sections, and when the top is in position upon the crate the locking-rod is shifted sufficiently to pass through the eye 37 and the perforation in the end bar 18, thus locking the crate cover firmly in place and also maintaining the door locked. The yoke 23 is prevented from moving nearer to the eye 36 than the position shown in Fig. l by coming in contact with the rod 7, thus preventing the door from being opened while the crate is locked in collapsed position.

To unlock the door,the locking-bar is shifted sufficiently to withdraw its end from the perforation in the side bar of the door.

Having thus described our invention, what We claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a crate, the combination with a cover 6c cover on the crate when collapsed, substantially as set forth.

2. In a crate, the combination of a bottom section, side and end sections foldably secured thereto and means for securing them together in vertical position, a screw-eye or its equivalent carried by the top rail of one end section and the top rail of the other section being recessed, of a cover provided with overhanging side and end bars and carrying projections on the Vinside of one end bar and having a perforation in the other, a hinged door in said cover, a slidable locking-rod carried by said cover and adapted to pass through the eye on the top of the rail of the folding end section and into the perforation in the end bar of the cover and engage the door, and the projection on the end bar entering the recesses in the folding end section at the same time, thereby locking the cover to the crate proper and also the door in said cover when the crate is instanding position, as set forth.

3. In a crate, the combination with a suitable bottom section having cleats secured to the ends thereof, one of said cleats provided with recesses and the other with a screw-eye or its equivalent, of folding side and end sec tions'adapted to be secured together in vertical position, of a cover provided with overhanging side and end bars and carrying projections on the inside of one end bar and having a perforation in the other, a locking-rod slidably mounted on the cover and adapted to enter the eye carried by the cleat and the perforation in the end bar of the cover, and a door rockably secured to said cover and adapted to be engaged by the locking-rod and the pins or projections adapted to enter the recesses in the cleat, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we alii( our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ZANE BLAND TAYLOR. ORLANDO WILSON MOORE. Witnesses:

MARY CAROTHERS, W, E. BOLINGER.-

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